This article will give you information about legislation regarding plan to expand emissions testing to Larimer County and Weld County.

2005 EPA (U.S.Environmental Protection Agency) no longer advised CO2 testing

Jan 2007 CO2 testing discontinued in North Front Range

March 2008 EPA lowers Ozone Limit from 85 to 75 ppb, requires new Ozone Action Plan (due 2013)

Dec 2008, The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (establishes rules and regulations for air quality control in Colorado.) amended Regulation 11 to expand emissions program to North Front Range Area no later than July 1, 2010.

Here is the relevant section of AQCC Regulation 11

June 2009 Senate Bill 09-003 Signed by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter,
here is a section of the bill that expands emissions program to Larimer and Weld counties.

2009 – Northern Colorado did not violate EPA Ozone standards in 2009; has a positive trend since 2006

Nov/Dec 2009 Citizens sent letters to Paul Tourangeau, Air Pollution Control Division Director, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to initiate action to rescind or postpone the planned emissions testion program.  Here is a link to our sample letter.

December 2009 – the Larimer County Clerk’s Office may begin collecting $2.20 for each vehicle eligible for the emissions testing. New News: We learned at the Dec 3 meeting of NFRMPO that the plan to collect this fee beginning Jan 1, 2010 has been changed.

Dec 17, 2009  – The Vehicle Emission Inspection Program in North Front Range was a topic of discussion at  the Air Quality Control Commission meeting held at the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment in Denver, Colorado.

Due to questions raised by representatives of Weld County and citizens of Larimer County regarding the implementation of this program in Larimer and Weld Counties, the Commission will hold a hearing in March 2010.

555 citizen letters requesting postponement of emissions testing in the North Front Range were presented to the AQCC.

New Economic Impact Data was provided, which shows the tiny reductions that were projected to be realized will not occur, because they did not include reductions for the miles driven by citizens to comply with the mandated testing.  Estes Park citizens would drive far enough that they would actually be creating more emissions than would be saved through the testing program.  Anyone who would consume about three gallons of gasoline to comply would be creating more emissions than the testing program would save.

It also was revealed that the Air Pollution Division has chosen to completely ignore all the emissions created by tourists.  Tourist emissions are exponentially greater than any amount of testing might ever reduce.

It is important to know that mobile sources (both on-road and off-road) are the ONLY sources that continue to show significant declines in emissions over time, despite growth in the mobile sources.  Point Sources (power plants, boilers, industrial products), Oil & Gas Sources, and Area Sources (personal products, aircraft, railroads, coatings, pesticides) all increase emissions with growth.

In a connected Plan, we were successful in delaying the hearing for approval of the Rocky Mountain National Park Contingency Plan.  This Plan included the emissions testing as a “strategy” for reducing nitrogen oxides, even though the reduction amounts to an infinitesimal 0.4% of the total planned reductions of 91,065 tons per year.  On road vehicles provide over two-thirds of the total via the phase out of older vehicles and the purchase of new vehicles which are substantially cleaner than the older vehicles.  This hearing was moved to April, 2010.